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Got Linux?

I would like to begin by sharing a few of my personal experiences
of using a Linux Distro. I have been running a Linix Mint Distro since
Linux Mint 5 which I installed on an older computer that I configured
as a dual boot system. The Linux Mint 5 Operating System
was my default OS and a Windows OS was my secondary. Because of my interests,
I do a lot of research at times and I never know what kind of sites I
will land on and what the site may do, or attempt to do, to my computer's
OS, applications, or data. As a result of this known risky behavior on
my part, I researched how I could best protect my Windows OS based personal
computer from the consequences of this risky behavior. The solution that
offered the most effective protection was, to my surprise, to use a version
of Linux when I was doing research and therefore engaging in risky browsing.
I also found out during this research that using a Linux distribution
'live CD' was the safest way to conduct any online banking or other such
transactions.

The 'live CD' boot configuration can also be used to troubleshoot an
unresponsive computer system as a first step for isolating hardware issues
from operating system or application issues. Once launched and loaded
into RAM, the 'live CD' makes use of most of the computer hardware except
the hard drive, allowing for hardware stability testing. The 'live CD'
can also be used as a form of data recovery. While in the 'live CD' mode
of operation, the Windows installation file system can be mounted and
data files can be written to a CD/DVD or to a USB flash drive that has
been inserted and mounted.

This OS has been one of the most stable OS I have ever used. It runs
fine on older computer systems and has served me very well. Although it
cannot replace my Windows operating system because of some of the specialized
software I use, it is more than capable of fulfilling the requirements
of many computer users. Linux Mint includes the LibreOffice Suite of office
applications and many other useful and fully functional applications including
GIMP, a digital photo-editing program. I currently run Linix Mint as a
virtual machine on computers that meet the minimum hardware requirements.
For more information, please refer to the article below entitled Let's
Explore Virtual Machines.

For any household where much of the time on the computer is spent browsing,
especially if the browsing is by teenagers or individuals who are not
adept at preventing moderate to severe consequences from browsing, then
a Linux OS is a one stop solution. I am including a few links that will
allow you to explore further information about Linux and the wide range
of distributions (Live Distros) that are available as free downloads.
If you are curious, many of the free downloads are .iso files that allow
you to burn a 'liveCD'. The 'liveCD' allows you to run Linux from your
CD drive without installing it on your hard drive. Just bear in mind that
the Linux OS will run much slower from the CD than if it was installed
on your hard drive. Take it for a test drive; you may be pleasantly surprised.

1st Cardinal Rule: Create a Backup!

This guidance applies to personal computing on many levels.
First and foremost, there is the question of your operating system. If
your operating system came preinstalled on your computer and your purchase
did not include an operating system installation or restore disc, then
you need to inquire if and how you can make a backup of your operating
system files on a media separate from your computer system. Generally,
the files are backed up as a hard drive image file that serves as a restoration
disc. If the system hard drive in your computer fails, the restore disc
provides you a means to restore your operating system if you choose to
replace the hard drive and return the computer to service. Otherwise,
the cost of returning the computer to service may require you to purchase
a replacement hard drive and a replacement operating system.

The next form of backup I will discuss involves downloaded content. If
you have downloaded data files, applications, or any other file types,
then be sure to back these files up on a media separate from your computer
system. If you do not and something goes wrong with your computer system,
then you may lose your files. If the files were mp3's or applications
that you purchased, you may be required to repurchase some of these items.
Even if you are not required to repurchase, the time involved in restoring
your collection to its former state can be daunting. In my personal experience,
I have grown fond of free applications or utilities that I installed and
then deleted the installation files, only to lose the installation because
of a system failure, and then was unable to find the installation files
online so I could reinstall the application or utility. Don't let this
happen to you. Always save the installation files and back them up on
a media separate from your computer system.

The final form of backup I will discuss is your data backup. Of all the
types of file loss or corruption, the loss of data files is the worst.
Operating systems, applications, and utilities can be replaced, your personal
data files cannot. During the 5 or so years I have been serving as a technology
facilitator, the loss or corruption of data has been the source of most
of the calls for service from the clients I serve. The anguish and stress
of losing cherished digital photographs or critical data can seem overwhelming.
All of the despair caused by the thought of loss could so easily have
been avoided by one simple act, back it up! I recommend
backing up your most valuable files on a few different media types. CD
or DVD backups are a primary form, but with the reduced cost of external
hard drives and flash drives in recent years, I also recommend considering
this form of backup. For large media file collections and critical data
collections, they can be an invaluable media for backups. I have clients
who have purchased a fire safe as a means of further protecting their
local backup media.

2nd Cardinal Rule: Create a Disc Image!

This guidance, if you are a Microsoft Windows Operating
System user and if you have done a good job of backing up your operating
system files, application files, and data files, is all about time and
frustration. If you have ever conducted a clean install on a computer,
then you are aware of the time and attention to detail that is required
to effect a complete setup of the operating system, system drivers, application
software, and any connected devices. If we only needed to do this once,
while the task can be time consuming, the rewards of using a clean machine
make the task bearable. However, as you probably know, computers do not
remain clean machines very long.

Over time, errors or malware take their toll and before long our lightening
fast machine shows signs of sluggishness or instability. At times, running
utilities to repair and purge our computer system of errors or intrusion
help, but at last we are faced with the unpleasant task of reinstallation.

But wait; there is a better way! Once you have completed the clean installation
of your computer system or you have added your applications to the new
computer you recently purchased, now is the time to add one more step
to finalize your system setup. Microsoft Operating Systems generally come
with the capability to create a shadow copy of the complete installation
of the system hard drive files. While this task can be accomplished using
Windows utilities, I recommend using a free utility named Macrium Reflect
(see link below). This utility provides a user-friendly interface to the
shadow copy function and is a means of creating a snapshot of your system
files at a given point of time. I recommend using this capability in the
following manner and stated purpose.

To begin, you must have one of the following formated for NTFS to be
able to use this procedure: a partitioned hard drive, an additional external
hard drive, a usb flash drive of adequate size, or a computer with multiple
hard drives . There are two primary reasons for the need of a separate
media for data and image files. First, the disc image file must be stored
on a partition or media separate from the system hard drive partition.
Secondly, it is critical that all working and stored
data files reside in a separate partition or on a separate hard drive.
This is because if and when you do a disc image restore operation, the
utility overwrites the entire system partition and nothing of the previous
file structure remains intact. Any data or installations added since the
disc image was created will be LOST!

Once you have completed your installation, run the Reflect Create Image
routine to take a snapshot of your system in its pristine state. Then,
if you have exhausted all other solutions to recover a sluggish or unstable
system, then just run the Macrium Reflect utility and restore your system
to its pristine state. The restore process usually takes about 20 to 45
minutes and is completely automatic once the process is initiated. Preparation
for this process involves creating a CD recovery disk that allows you
to boot your system from a live CD and open a version of Macrium Reflect
from the CD. You select the restore function and identify the location
where the disc image is stored and target the system partition where you
want the image to be restored to. This procedure can also be used to restore
the saved image to a new hard drive. This is useful if you wish to upgrade
your system hard drive and not be faced with the task of going through
the complete operating system and application installation process.

Finally, before initiating any of these procedures, create a
backup of your data! Although I have used this procedure many
times on my own systems and on client systems without incident, I always
begin by creating a fresh backup of the data if at all possible. This
is simply a 'best practice' that I highly recommend to you.

3rd Cardinal Rule: Make Incremental Saves!

As the computer support person for my family and many of my friends,
I have been the target of much venting and frustration because of this
fact: Computer systems are, by their very nature, prone to instability
and failure. This can be caused by many various and transient factors
and conditions. Computers are complex brews of hardware and software
(code) and user interfaces. Errors, malware, electrical transients,
power failure and many other factors can affect them. As a result, a
document or project that you are working on, and that you may have invested
hours in during this session, can be lost in an instant.

This is why I recommend to others, and constantly practice myself,
the best practice of making incremental saves. I usually do this at
least 2-3 times an hour, and sometimes more often. The reason I do incremental
saves is because, as an author, if something happens, I may never recapture
that expression in just that form again. Also, if I am making a major
change, then some of my expression may be deleted and lost in the editing
process.

This is why I make incremental saves using an ascending file naming
convention. This allows me to build a library of versions of any particular
file. The convention I use includes the file name, the date, and the
hour of day (e.g. filename_5_3_09_11am.doc). This provides multiple
versions of the creation process and allows me to time travel, so to
speak, through the authoring process by accessing the chain of time
stamped file versions in the file library.

Let's Explore Virtual Machines

Server virtualization is a fairly recent movement but is
becoming mainstream as IT administrators quickly realize that virtualization
equates to utilization. Many server arrays, until recent times, were dedicated
to perform a basic mission critical function. This meant that the average
utilization of the hardware was as low as 20%. With the introduction of
virtualization, the same server hardware can be utilized at 60-85% capacity
and even higher. This allows for less hardware duplication and greater
utilization of the server hardware that is placed in service.

There are many suppliers of virtualization software. Some configurations
run in the place of a server operating system. Others install within the
host server operating system as an application. Each guest operating system
has use of hardware or host resources. The virtualization software manages
this access and utilization. This website is hosted on a VPS account which
is a Virtual Private Server.
My entire family of websites are hosted within a virtual machine created
with Virtuozzo virtualization software on a Linux server.

So why should you, as a PC user, care about virtualization. Simple! Because
virtualization software is available for your PC. There are many providers
of virtualization software. For a comparison of some of the offerings,
visit this link:

Some offerings are proprietary and can cost as much as a few hundred
dollars. Other offerings are Open Source and are free for personal use.
One such free for personal use offering is Sun's VirtualBox. I became
interested in virtualization for one main reason. As a philosopher, I
do quite a bit of research. In my early years this involved hours at local
and sometimes not so local libraries. With the advent of broadband, much
of my research is now conducted from the comfort of my study in front
of my computer. However, some of the links I would follow seeking relevant
information would infect my PC and leave me with quite a mess on my hands.
In the early days of my PC use, I was uninitiated to the many ways I could
protect my computer and facilitate recovery if my computer did become
infected.

Enter virtual machines. The beauty of a virtual machine is that its file
system is completely isolated from the host operating system. The guest
operating system's virtual drive is seen as a single file with an alien
file extension by the host operating system (in the case of VirtualBox,
a .vdi extension). Additionally, I further protected the guest operating
system by choosing a version of Linux since most malware is written to
attack Microsoft Operating Systems. I began exploring Linux Mint with
the 4.0 release and have been very pleased with it. It is by far the most
stable operating system I have ever used.

I have included a detailed tutorial if you are interested in exploring
the benefits of safe browsing using a virtual machine. The tutorial uses
Linux Mint 5.0 LTS (Long Term Support
until April 2011) as the guest operating system. I will update this tutorial
based on feedback from users. I encourage you to explore this safe browsing
solution if you have ever suffered through the after effects of a malware
attack as the result of casual browsing.

As an alternative to VirtualBox, VMware offers free downloads
of VMware Player and a Pre-Built Browser Appliance. The current version
also allows you to install an operating system of your choice including
runing Windows XP as a guest virtual machine on a Windows
7 host computer. Additionally, VMware also offers a free
version of a physical to virtual machine converter called vCenter Converter
Standalone. This application allows the user to virtualize an existing
hardware installation and save it as a virtual machine. Drawing from over
ten years of virtualization experience, VMware is a leader in virtualization
solutions.

The links below are to the VMware Player webpage and the vCenter Converter
webpage respectively. A collection of links to download the player and
browser appliances is at the bottom of the VMware Player webpage. The
download page requires personal information to create a download account,
but is otherwise free of charge.

Towards the bottom of the page there is a section entitled Pro Player is Designed For: Under the heading: VMware Player Free for Personal Use there is a Download link for individuals who wish to download the free version of VMware Player.

Equipment Boards

This is a sample of an equipment board that was properly installed during the prewire of the building. All home run wire pulls can pass through the equipment board to the equipment mounting surface.

Equipment Board Sample 2

This is a sample of a makeshift equipment board. This type of equipment board is a good choice when the equipment may be removed or updated frequently. The equipment bag is open weave to allow for connections and cooling. The bag can be easily opened for equipment changes or service.

Support Documents

These support documents should be useful to anyone who chooses
to implement the Macrium Reflect Disc Image Restore Solution or the Sun
VirtualBox/Linux Mint Safe Browsing Solution.